JuJu Smith-Schuster, Tyreek Hill, Chiefs Fantasy Outlook After WR's Reported Contract

The Kansas City Chiefs and free-agent wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster have agreed to a one-year, $10.75 million contract, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

From a fantasy football standpoint, Smith-Schuster's 2022 season stock is flying through the roof.

He's joining an offense that features a trio of superstars in quarterback Patrick Mahomes, wide receiver Tyreek Hill and tight end Travis Kelce alongside one of the NFL's top offensive lines.

Smith-Schuster should have plenty of quality opportunities in Kansas City with defenses forced to split their attention on two superstars and a solid slot receiver who have the best signal-caller in football throwing them the ball.

His best year was in 2018, when he amassed 111 catches for 1,426 yards and seven touchdowns for the Pittsburgh Steelers. That offense was loaded and featured superstar wideout Antonio Brown and a quarterback in Ben Roethlisberger who led the league in completions, attempts and yards.

It might be too much to expect Smith-Schuster to return to that form, especially when he'll likely be third in the pecking order behind Hill and Kelce.

However, he should be a machine in point-per-reception leagues, to the point where he could conceivably be drafted as a WR2. At a minimum, Smith-Schuster is a WR3/flex choice.

Mike Clay of ESPN gave a look at what the Chiefs' skill position players with Smith-Schuster in the mix.

ESPN's Matt Bowen gave a look at the fit:

He's been productive, per Next Gen Stats:

PFF's Nathan Jahnke likes the fit:

This addition is good for the rest of the Chiefs as well. Teams routinely look to stop Kelce or Hill, but now they have to focus on Smith-Schuster too. He's the best pass-catching weapon the Chiefs have had in the Mahomes era outside Kelce and Hill. That could open up more opportunities for that duo.

Hill is still very clearly a WR1. He's firmly among the top-10 wideouts in the league, if not top five, and should be drafted within the first two rounds. Kelce is clearly one of the top fantasy tight ends, and he'll be in the mix to be No. 1 overall.

The one pass-catcher who may see a hit is Mecole Hardman, who is a fringe flex option at best at this point. Hardman had 83 targets last year, but that figure will likely go down with Smith-Schuster presumably getting more links as the de-facto WR2 now.

Hardman is still a big-play threat waiting to happen, and he doesn't need many touches per game to make an impact, but he'll likely be WR3 on the Chiefs for all intents and purposes.